There weren’t any upsets and things essentially went the way they were planned, but there were still a handful of exciting moments and clutch plays across the Section II board.

So as we all mentally prepare ourselves for the upcoming semi-final matchups, what did we learn after week eight? Let’s review.

we are number 1

After Friday and Saturday’s games, every single No. 1 seed on both sides of all five brackets advanced to the semi-finals next week. This isn’t necessarily a huge surprise, but it’s important to acknowledge that the top seeded teams are all still in the mix after the first week. What exactly does that say about these teams? They’re all talented squads and should all probably be on the collective radar. In fact, collectively, the 10 No. 1 seeds in Section II outscored their No. 4 opponents by more than 400 total points. Are these teams guaranteed another victory this week? No. But surviving the opening round is just the first step in all of these team’s long-term plans and all of those plans end with a Section II title.

kickers are players too

More often than not, we tend to overlook high school kickers. Occasionally, there will be a player whose stats are simply too good to ignore, but generally, we as an audience tend to take kickers for granted. Of course, until we need them and on Friday night, Section II saw kickers rise to the challenge in key situations. For the second time this year, Andrew Sentz kicked a game-winning kick for Guilderland, this time from 28 yards out to seal a 38-35 victory over Colonie as time expired. Meanwhile, Shaker’s Will Halpin connected on a 37 yard field goal to give the Bison a late lead over Shen in what would ultimately be a 23-21 victory. And while neither was a game-winner, Amsterdam’s Marcus Pritchard connected on two field goals, from 33 and 41 yards out, to help the Rugged Rams to a 48-34 victory over Averill Park. Let’s not overlook kickers in the next few weeks, these are guys who can change the game.

joe germinerio has grown up

The Troy High junior quarterback technically hasn’t aged much in the past eight weeks of football, but he’s certainly grown up in the pocket since the Flying Horses’ week one loss to Queensbury. In his first season as a starter, Germinerio has consistently worked at his game and he’s gotten visibly more comfortable under center. That kind of quiet confidence was on full display on Friday night as Germinerio went 4-for-6 for 93 yards and one touchdown pass in a 48-0 victory over Gloversville. The added option through the air is huge for Troy’s offense as the Horses face a rematch against Burnt Hills next week. The last time these teams faced off in week two, they played four overtimes.

a ram’ing kind of offense

That pun might not have even made sense, but the still almost stands. This Rensselaer offense will ram the ball down the metaphorical throat of any opponent and there are so many options for this team that it’s actually tough to keep track of who’s doing what. Senior quarterback Steven Harwood has thrown for 1,337 yards and rushed for another 496 yards this season. Part of the reason Harwood has been able to air the ball out so well is because of his trio of wideouts - Brandon Bulter, Jake Forgea and Tyler Oliver - all of whom have combined for 1,119 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. Oh, and don’t forget Tyler Harwood who’s in his first year as the team’s starting running back. This season he’s rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns as well as catching 13 passes for 291 yards. This is an offense that is firing on all cylinders at this point and they’re going to be tough to slow down.

brandon is back

Brandon LaForest missed a good chunk of the regular season after sustaining a hip injury, but after returning to the Cohoes lineup last week, the junior wide receiver was back in top form on Saturday afternoon. LaForest caught just three passes in Cohoes’ 42-19 quarterfinal victory over Glens Falls, but two of those receptions went for touchdowns and he finished the game with 164 yards. Coming into this season, LaForest was projected to be quarterback Max Carey’s favorite target and for good reason, he’s athletic, strong and probably one of the fastest wideouts in Section II. If LaForest is truly back, there’s no reason to expect he won’t be targeted more often in next week’s semi against Broadalbin-Perth.